Questions to Ask When Getting Tested or Receiving Treatment
Testing for HIV and STIs can be complicated. Feeling confident going into your appointment can make a big difference in sticking to a testing plan! Use the questions below to help navigate testing conversations or appointments with your provider.
How do I interpret STI results?
The following are common results you might see from at-home STI testing kits: - Result Says “Not Detected”: The test did not find any bacteria (gonorrhea and/or chlamydia) in your sample and can be considered a negative result. -Syphilis Result Says “Non-Reactive”: The test did not find any antibodies for syphilis in your sample and can be considered a negative result. - Result Says “Detected”: The test found bacteria in your sample (gonorrhea and/or chlamydia) and can be considered a positive result. Use the services locator in your app to find a provider in your area to assist with treatment. - Syphilis Result Says “Reactive”: The test found antibodies for syphilis in your sample, and this can be considered a positive result OR could indicate a previous infection that you have already gotten treatment for. Use the services locator in your app to find a provider in your area that can assist with follow up testing (also known as an RPR or titer) or to assist with treatment if needed. - Result Says “QNS”: QNS stands for Quantity Not Sufficient and means that there was not enough sample received by the lab to get a result. You can request a follow up home test kit for QNS samples OR use the services locator in your app to find local testing locations. - Result Says “Missing”: If you chose not to complete a specimen collection but returned other parts of your test kit, the incomplete test will be marked as missing. If you did not skip any of the collections and still received a “missing” result, you may need to repeat and use a new collection kit.